A SON rescued his elderly mother from a fire which destroyed the ground floor of their home.
The man led his mother to safety after the blaze started in the kitchen of the semi-detached house in Southview Drive, Walton.
Peter Lawes, of Woodberry Way, which is near the scene of the blaze, said: "There was a lot of black smoke billowing out of the house but I only saw flames coming out from the back bedroom window.
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"The flames looked to be about five or six feet high.
"You could tell by the firefighters coming out with blackened faces that it was quite a harsh environment in there.
"The people in the house were already out by the time I got there, but anyone trapped in there would really have been in trouble."
On arrival at the scene, fire crews from Frinton and Clacton discovered the ground floor well alight and the house heavily smoke-logged.
Ten firefighters wearing breathing apparatus took about 75 minutes to extinguish the flames.
Lee Palfreyman, station officer at Frinton, said: "The resident heard a noise in his kitchen and discovered the fridge was on fire and thick black smoke was pouring out.
"The man called the fire service and got himself and his elderly mother out of the house and waited for us to arrive, which was exactly the right thing to do.
"Fire crews worked extremely hard and prevented the fire from spreading."
Mr Palfreyman said it was not thought the house had a working fire alarm.
Fire crews remained at the scene after putting out the blaze to ventilate the house, which has now been boarded up.
Neighbours said the man and the woman were now staying with family in Kirby Cross.
Anyone who wishes to book a free home fire safety visit should call 0845 6012495.
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